Massarella Cafe Bar and Gallery

General information

Treacle Tubs Gallery, later to become Massarella's Café Bar & Gallery was founded, as an art gallery, opening at weekends in its present location in Saltaire during May 1998 by Ellen Massarella.

Ellen, born into a well-known Doncaster ice-cream making family, of Italian origin, had a long and successful career as a sales executive with a medical company before leaving her job and entering the art world full-time in May 2004. At this time a café was incorporated into the gallery. She has had work by internationally acclaimed artists Joe Scarborough of Sheffield and Darren Baker of Huddersfield, exhibited at Massarella's.

Over the years, Ellen has raised the profile of the café gallery and it is now regarded as one of the finest in the area, with it being located in the heart of the World Heritage village of Saltaire.

In 2008, the café gallery secured a wine licence and now Massarella's is a much talked about eating and meeting place, with artwork covering its walls and ceramics also on display in the Mediterranean looking interior which has a light and inviting ambience.

The gallery has hosted a number of exhibitions over the years and had the honour of having the late, great Richard Whitely of Countdown fame, open one of them. It has been visited by several well-known personalities including actress Leslie Joseph of Birds of a Feather; and various Emmerdale actors including Lorraine Chase and Dominic Brunt.

One of the busiest spells in the gallery's calendar is the Saltaire Festival, and the Saltaire Art Trail, a showcase for local artists' work.

There are a selection of cards and postcards for sale in the gallery. The café bar has an enviable reputation for its coffee, made by its Barista-trained staff, along with Ellen's fine home-made soups, and cakes. There is also a wide range of paninis and sandwiches on the menu.

Massarella Café Bar and Gallery is open every day EXCEPT MONDAY (but is open on Bank Holiday Mondays), between 10am and 5pm Tuesday to Friday, and 10am and 5.30pm Saturday and Sunday. It is also open on all bank holidays including Boxing Day and New Year's Day.

It is available for both corporate and private functions.